Who Am I?

So this week I'm reading through the events of the last week of the life of Jesus. (I'm using Luke's version, so I started at Luke 19 and reading through to the end of his account). This morning I read through the accounts of Jesus being questioned (more like verbally attacked) by the religious leaders. I was amazed all over again at the answers of Jesus - he took on the scholarly elite of His day and put them in their place every time they attempted to trap him (check out his amazing debate skills in Luke 20).

But the question which plagued me as I read through these passages was, "Who am I in this story?" In other words, which character would I have been in that day? Where would I have fit into these accounts of Jesus being challenged by the religious mafia? I came up with several possibilities:

A Sadducee - I dismissed this one pretty quickly. These guys were the social upper crust of their day. This red-neck Georgia boy would never have been asked to be part of their club.

A Pharisee - These guys were the religious leaders of the day, so yeah, I guess that there is a chance that I could have fit into that group. Most of them weren't fans of Jesus, though... he was upsetting their system. So I wonder what my reaction would have been if my "status quo" was being challenged?

Part of the crowd - These were the rubber-neckers of the day. They stood on the edges, listened to the debates, laughed when Jesus put the religious leaders in their place, but also chanted "crucify Him" when Jesus stood beside Pilate. They weren't committed either way; they just wanted safety, security, and their next meal. Yeah... I bet I could have been a face in that crowd.

A Disciple - These were the guys who abandoned everything they knew to follow Christ. Sure, they flinched when Jesus was arrested and crucified, but ultimately these guys came through because nothing mattered more. Man, I sure would love to say that I would have been one of those guys.

I've found that it is really easy to Monday morning quarterback all these different characters, point out flaws and mistakes and to make statements like, "I would have..." But during this week leading up to Easter Sunday, I've been plagued by this nagging question - who am I in this story? And... I guess the more important question - what in my life now proves that I would not have been one of the bad guys? It's a hard question to ask; maybe harder question to answer. And yet... what could be a more important question?